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LOCAL A13
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Star Power Shines at 5th Annual AIFF:
Tyrese Gibson has Ambitions Beyond ‘Fast and Furious’
KEVIN LALLY he doesn’t judge those Martinez of Yahoo Ameri- you in a big box-office Mangold, Martin Scorsese
Film Journal International battling addictions. “Pretty cas, and the actor-singer movie either. We all deal and all of these guys to
(Special to Aruba Today) much all of us have things remained just as open and with the same struggle. But have you in mind for mov-
PALM BEACH (FJI) - The big we struggle with,” he ad- frank. I’m not one of those peo- ies that they’re [writing
“get” at this year’s Aruba vised, noting that one of “I’m one of them actors ple who gets bitter or mad or directing]…these guys
International Film Festival, have a list of people they
running through Sunday, Actor Tyrese Gibson poses with Aruba’s Prime Minister, Mike Eman, while visiting the island to pro- call all the time, the same
was Tyrese Gibson, best- mote his short film “Shame” at the 5th Annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF), held October … people… I gotta be on
selling R&B artist, co-star of 7 – 11, 2015. this list. So instead of me
the mammoth Transform- complaining, I said I’m
ers and Fast and Furious the challenges of his life that started off in the dra- or tries to use the black gonna create something
franchises and, to judge was his mother’s alcohol- matic space,” he remind- card: ‘They’re not calling to get on their radar.”
by the crowd reaction on ism. He freely admitted ed us, naming his early films me because I’m black!’ Gibson calls himself “very
this steamy isle, a major sex that he cut his mother out Baby Boy, Annapolis, Four That … is so … get over it. passionate about writing”
symbol especially in this of his life for a year and a Brothers and Waist Deep. I’m just one of those peo- and says he’s written seven
corner of the world. half until she hit rock-bot- “When you become really ple who says: If you have a screenplays. But his pas-
Gibson was here to pro- tom and he helped her get successful in box office, problem with anything, fix sion project right now is the
mote “Shame,” a 25-min- through rehab; she’s now you get typecast and put it. Do the work.” story of the late R&B singer
ute short film he wrote, been sober for almost ten into a box. When you think Gibson has a host of film- Teddy Pendergrass, whose
which opened the festival years, he reported. of Tyrese or other actors makers he admires and life rights he purchased
on a bill with the feature Later that evening, this that do the big box-office would love to work with. from his widow. A major
The Driftless Area. The film reporter shared a round- movies, they automatically “If you want Paul Hag- soul-music sex symbol in his
is an offshoot from a song table with Gibson, joined think of you for that. And gis, Quentin Tarantino, ’70s heyday, Pendergrass
about infidelity on his re- by Simon Braund of Em- when you do dramatic Clint Eastwood, Steve Mc- saw his life change over-
cent number-one album pire magazine and Andres roles, they can’t accept Queen, Lee Daniels, James night when a car accident
Black Rose; Gibson told the left him a paraplegic.
audience in a post-screen- “I spent a lot of time with
ing Q&A that it was the first Teddy before he died, five
song he recorded after a years,” Gibson says. “I was
five-year relationship end- one of the best men at
ed. “All these characters his wedding, I was also a
popped up in my head,” pallbearer at his funeral. I
he recalled, telling the didn’t want ‘Shame’ to be
crowd that he ultimately a full feature—I wanted to
wrote the script in 12 min- keep it as a short because
utes on his iPhone. they’re both around the
Directed by music-video same time period, I have
veteran Paul Hunter, the a very raspy voice when
film is set in 1968 Detroit I sing and Teddy Pender-
and centers on Gibson as grass did as well, and I just
R&B singer Lionel Jacobs, didn’t want one movie to
who’s struggling with al- cannibalize the other.”
cohol and drug addiction, Gibson explains his fasci-
and is also cheating on nation with the R&B icon.
his wife and background “There’s something very
singer (Oscar winner Jen- powerful about a man
nifer Hudson) with another who had more number-
of his background singers. one hits than anybody,
The short (impressively shot sex symbol, confident. He
in only two days) has high had this manly-man gravi-
production values and is tas about him. And all of a
clearly intended as a call- sudden this independent
ing card for Gibson as single child, he goes from
both a dramatic actor and all of this power to being
compelling singer. completely dependent.
Gibson himself proclaimed His brain is still the same,
that he never gets high but his body is dead…
and doesn’t drink (“no red
wine, no white wine”), but Continued on Page 15
